Help us protect Large Old Trees: EOFY donation drive

Posted on 25 June, 2024 by Ivan

Looking for a great local cause to donate to at the end of this financial year? Over the next 12 months, we will be working to protect and enhance large old trees in our landscape, through our key project “Regenergeate before it’s too late“. Now is a great time to make a financial contribution to Connecting Country’s works as the end of the financial year approaches. Donating is easy – use our secure online service (click here), with all donations to Connecting Country being tax-deductible.

Thanks also to all our supporters for being part of the Connecting Country community in 2024, joining our shared vision for landscape restoration across the Mount Alexander region. The valuable work we do couldn’t happen without people like you – volunteering time to help with wildlife monitoring, joining our education events, participating in our on-ground projects, giving financial help or just being a member.

Funding for conservation is a constantly moving beast but we are determined to continue and maintain our core capacity and current projects until new project funding arrives. However, we need help to maintain the strong foundations essential to our success as a community-driven organisation and keep us focused on long-term plans. With enough support, the coming year will see us continue to help landholders with on-ground actions, prepare for climate change, maintain our long-term monitoring, and deliver events that inform, educate and inspire.

You can be assured that any financial support from you will be well spent, with 100% invested into our core work of supporting and implementing landscape restoration in our local area. We run a very lean operation and our small team of part-time staff attracts voluntary support that ensures every dollar goes a long way. We have produced a video below, which highlights the importance of caring for large on trees on farms, and why these landowners value their large old trees. 

As a Connecting Country supporter, you’ve already contributed to some amazing successes. Since beginning in 2007 we have:

• Helped protect and restore 15,000 ha of habitat across the Mount Alexander region, which equates to around 8.1% of the shire.
• Delivered more than 245 successful community education events.
• Installed more than 450 nestboxes for the threatened Brush-tailed Phascogale.
• Maintained a network of 50 long-term bird monitoring sites.
• Secured funding to deliver more than 65 landscape restoration projects.
• Supported an incredible network of over 30 Landcare and Friends groups.

2024 Landcare Link-up: Caring for Significant Old Trees

Posted on 19 June, 2024 by Hadley Cole

As part of Connecting Country’s ongoing support for Landcare groups in the Mount Alexander region, we coordinate an annual Landcare Link-up to provide groups with an opportunity to get together, learn, share and connect. It’s also a great opportunity for anyone not yet a part of Landcare to learn more about what’s involved and hear about the amazing success stories in our region.

On Sunday 19 May 2024, Landcare volunteers and significant old tree enthusiasts attended the Annual 2024 Landcare Link-up in Maldon VIC. The event was co-hosted by Maldon Urban Landcare Group (MULGA). Bev Phillips from MULGA provided enormous support in coordinating the event as well as taking participants for a walk around the Maldon township to view significant indigenous eucalypts of the area that have been growing since before European settlement, which in Maldon was 1852.

Bev’s walk was most engaging with participants forming a greater understanding of how many of our indigenous eucalypts may not appear enormously wide in trunk size, however, their canopy can tell us a different story. Medium-sized indigenous eucalypts can pre-date European settlement and be 200 or more years in age. MULGA have been recording indigenous eucalypts that are estimated to pre-date European settlement since 2017. The group has surveyed 340 trees on public and private land. Five of the eucalypts are estimated to be over 500 years old, and one of these, a Grey Box, is estimated to be 650 years old. Many large eucalypts were destroyed during the gold rush era in the Mount Alexander Shire, which leaves those still standing as ‘Living Treasures’, as they were lucky to escape obliteration.

Participants admiring a beautiful Yellow Box (Eucalyptus Melliodora) estimated to be 540 years old. Photo by Connecting Country.

As well as talking us through how to estimate the age of significant trees, Bev shared some great tips on how to identify Indigenous eucalypts of the region, including Grey Box (Eucalyptus microcarpa), Yellow Box (Eucalyptus melliodora), Long Leaf Box (Eucalyptus goniocalyx) and Red Box (Eucalyptus polyanthemos). Bev brought along sample bags and photocopies of species leaves and fruit (or gum nuts) which provided wonderful resources for explaining the various parts of the tree used for identification. Participants thoroughly enjoyed the walk with Bev through Maldon, with many gaining further knowledge in the identification of indigenous eucalypts.

The photos above show participants getting hands-on experience in identifying eucalypts by examining leaves and fruit.

Following the walk and talk with Bev, we returned to the Maldon Community Centre to warm up with afternoon tea and settle in for presentations from Connecting Country’s Ivan Carter, Engagement Coordinator, who spoke about the mapping of large and/or significant old trees in the region and from La Trobe University’s Dr Steve Griffiths who gave us an overview of his research into artificial or carved tree hollows.

Ivan spoke about Connecting Country’s mapping portal that allows our local community to upload and record significant or special trees on public or private land across the region. The mapping portal is part of Connecting Country’s three-year project, Regenerate before it’s too late! funded by the Ian and Shirley Norman Foundation. As well as mapping the spectacular trees of our region, the project also includes on-ground works and community engagement events to help raise the profile of our marvellous significant old trees. The 2024 Landcare Link-up was one of these events. For more information on how to upload images and record details of local old trees of the region to the mapping portal – click here.

Participants enjoyed the presentation by Dr Steve Griffiths on artificial tree hollows. Photo by Connecting Country.

We then heard from Dr Steve Griffiths, who offered some fascinating information about his research on artificial or carved tree hollows. Steve explained that carved hollows are not a new concept and have been used overseas in places such as North America and Europe since the 1990’s but little has been recorded about their effectiveness. Creation of these hollows involves carving out hollows with a chainsaw, or specialised tools, to specific dimensions depending on the species you wish to create a home for. One of Steve’s studies looked into the insulative quality of carved hollows versus nest boxes. As the carved hollows have the benefits of the insulation mass of the tree, they performed better than nest boxes in both cool and hot weather.

Steve presented some interesting research into the dimensions of the carved hollows and the species using them. Overall studies indicated that small arboreal mammals such as Brush-Tailed Phascogales and Krefft (or Sugar) Gliders will comfortably take up residence in a carved hollow. Native birds, such as a variety of parrots secies, will also set up homes in these hollows. Microbats however were not found in the carved hollows, so the question remains how a comfy insulated hollow is created for these little guys, which Steve seems committed to finding out!

To read Dr Steve Griffiths’s full research paper, click here.

Although it was a jam-packed day, it was a great success with lots of positive feedback provided by participants.

The canopy of a 540-year-old Yellow Box (Eucalyptus Melliodora). Photo by Connecting Country.

A big thank you to Bev Phillips and Marie Bell from MULGA for their help coordinating the day and volunteering their time and Dr. Steve Griffiths for travelling up to Maldon to share his learnings.

This event was funded through the Regenerate before it’s too late! project supported by the Ian & Shirley Normal Foundation.

Bird of the Month: Australasian Grebe

Posted on 19 June, 2024 by Ivan

Welcome to Bird of the Month, a partnership between Connecting Country and BirdLife Castlemaine District. Each month we’re taking a close look at one special local bird species. We’re excited to join forces to deliver you a different bird each month, seasonally adjusted, and welcome suggestions from the community. We are blessed to have the brilliant Jane Rusden and Damian Kelly from BirdLife Castlemaine District writing about our next bird of the month, accompanied by Damian’s stunning photos.

Australasian Grebe (Tachybaptus novaehollandiae)

Australasian Grebes hold a special place in my heart, simply because they have such cute fluffy bums and can often be seen on dams. They are seemingly half fish, spending their lives on or under water. They nest on rafts and can spend long periods under the water foraging. On land they are quite ungainly and walk very awkwardly. And then there’s the chicks, the cutest striped balls of fluff riding on a parent’s back, tucked safely away in a bed of living feathers.

The Australasian Grebe is too cute for words.  Photo Damian Kelly

Appearance can vary quite a bit. In the breeding season, both males and females have a glossy-black head with a chestnut stripe on the face extending from behind the eye through to the base of the neck and a distinctive yellow patch below the eye. In contrast, the non-breeding plumage of both sexes is dark grey-brown above with silver-grey below and lacks the distinctive yellow patch. Juveniles are quite different again, with camouflage-type black stripes on grey plumage.

Juveniles are quite different again, with camouflage-type black stripes on grey plumage. Photo: Damian Kelly

They are adaptable and can be found in varying habitats from small farm dams to larger bodies of water. Food includes fish, snails and aquatic arthropods usually collected by diving. Grebes are also known to eat their downy feathers and feed feathers to their young. Various reasons have been suggested for this behaviour ranging from aiding digestion to assisting the formation of pellets to help eject fish bones, but definitive reasons are yet to be determined.

Grebes are known to be quite mobile and will fly to new areas as water levels change. Flight is generally undertaken at night. They have also colonized New Zealand in recent times.

The Australasian grebe is common on freshwater lakes and rivers in greater Australia, New Zealand and on nearby Pacific islands. Photo: Damian Kelly

Nests are a floating mound of vegetation that is usually attached to a submerged branch or other fixed object. Over a season, two or three clutches of 3-5 eggs are laid. At times two females may lay in the same nest.  Young can swim from birth and are fed by both parents. However, if a second clutch is laid the young of the previous brood are driven away.

To hear the call of the Australasian Grebe, please click here

Help us thrive in 2024/2025: EOFY donation drive

Posted on 17 June, 2024 by Ivan

Looking for a great local cause to donate to at the end of this financial year? Now is a great time to make a financial contribution to Connecting Country’s work, if you can afford to, as the end of the financial year approaches. Donating is easy – use our secure online service (click here), with all donations to Connecting Country being tax-deductible.

We appreciate all your financial support, whether large or small, one-off or regular.

Thanks also to all our supporters for being part of the Connecting Country community in 2024, joining our shared vision for landscape restoration across the Mount Alexander region. The valuable work we do couldn’t happen without people like you – volunteering time to help with wildlife monitoring, joining our education events, participating in our on-ground projects, giving financial help or just being a member.

We have a demonstrated track record of fifteen years of successful landscape restoration and strategic landscape planning for the future. However, in the current situation, it’s extremely difficult to secure funding for on-ground environmental projects. The post-COVID-19 pandemic has caused our government and many philanthropic organisations to freeze or delay grant opportunities.

We are determined to survive and maintain our core capacity and current projects until new project funding arrives. However, we need help to maintain the strong foundations essential to our success as a community-driven organisation and keep us focused on long-term plans. With enough support, the coming year will see us continue to help landholders with on-ground actions, prepare for climate change, maintain our long-term monitoring, and deliver events that inform, educate and inspire.

You can be assured that any financial support from you will be well spent, with 100% invested into our core work of supporting and implementing landscape restoration in our local area. We run a very lean operation and our small team of part-time staff attracts voluntary support that ensures every dollar goes a long way.

As a Connecting Country supporter, you’ve already contributed to some amazing successes. Since beginning in 2007 we have:

• Helped protect and restore 15,000 ha of habitat across the Mount Alexander region, which equates to around 8.1% of the shire.
• Delivered more than 245 successful community education events.
• Installed more than 450 nestboxes for the threatened Brush-tailed Phascogale.
• Maintained a network of 50 long-term bird monitoring sites.
• Secured funding to deliver more than 65 landscape restoration projects.
• Supported an incredible network of over 30 Landcare and Friends groups.

Thanks again for your support for Connecting Country. Making our vision a reality is only possible with strong community support. Please enjoy this gallery snapshot of some of our 2023-24 activities.

Central Victoria Community Deer Forum: Sunday June 30 Malmsbury

Posted on 4 June, 2024 by Ivan

Are deep impacting your property, project site or local reserve?  This Community Deer Forum coming up in Malmsbury VIC, on Sunday 30 June 2024 might be of interest to you. 

Central Victoria Community Deer Forum

The Victorian Deer Control Community Network, Biolinks Alliance and Malmsbury District Landcare invite you to a forum about tackling the emerging impacts of deer around your home, farm or nature reserve.

Sunday, June 30 · 10:30am – 3:30pm AEST

The forum aims to raise the awareness of private landowners and other community members to the emerging impacts of deer in Central Victoria and what options people have for control.

You will hear from experts and landowners, and have the chance to ask your questions, about:

• Deer species in your area
• Emerging impacts of deer in Central Victoria
• The law around deer
• Deer control plans and programs
• Deer control options for landowners
• Working together
• Meet people that can help
• Where to find out more

Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Click Here for a flyer with registration details. 

For more information contact Peter Jacobs

peterj@invasives.org.au

Confirm your support for Connecting Country’s work: EOFY

Posted on 4 June, 2024 by Ivan

A huge thank you to our many amazing supporters who have been generously donating via our online service over the past year. Now is a great time to make a financial contribution to Connecting Country’s work, if you can afford to, as the end of the financial year approaches. Donating is easy – use our secure online service (click here), with all donations to Connecting Country being tax-deductible.

We appreciate all your financial support, whether large or small, one-off or regular.

Thanks also to all our supporters for being part of the Connecting Country community in 2024, joining our shared vision for landscape restoration across the Mount Alexander region. The valuable work we do couldn’t happen without people like you – volunteering time to help with wildlife monitoring, joining our education events, participating in our on-ground projects, giving financial help or just being a member.

We have a demonstrated track record of fifteen years of successful landscape restoration and strategic landscape planing for the future. However, in the current situation, it’s extremely difficult to secure funding for on-ground environmental projects. The post-COVID-19 pandemic has caused our government and many philanthropic organisations to freeze or delay grant opportunities.

We are determined to survive, and maintain our core capacity and current projects until new project funding arrives. However, we need help to maintain the strong foundations essential to our success as a community-driven organisation and keep us focused on long-term plans. With enough support, the coming year will see us continue to help landholders with on-ground actions, prepare for climate change, maintain our long-term monitoring, and deliver events that inform, educate and inspire.

You can be assured that any financial support from you will be well spent, with 100% invested into our core work of supporting and implementing landscape restoration in our local area. We run a very lean operation and our small team of part-time staff attracts voluntary support that ensures every dollar goes a long way.

As a Connecting Country supporter, you’ve already contributed to some amazing successes. Since beginning in 2007 we have:

• • Helped protect and restore 15,000 ha of habitat across the Mount Alexander region, which equates to around 8.1% of the shire.
  • Delivered more than 245 successful community education events.
  • Installed more than 450 nestboxes for the threatened Brush-tailed Phascogale
  • Maintained a network of 50 long-term bird monitoring sites
  • Secured funding to deliver more than 65 landscape restoration projects.
  • Supported an incredible network of over 30 Landcare and Friends groups.

Thanks again for your support for Connecting Country. Making our vision a reality is only possible with strong community support. Please enjoy this gallery snapshot of some of our 2023-24 activities.

Nalderun Sorry Day and Reconciliation Week – 27 May to 3 June 2024

Posted on 21 May, 2024 by Ivan

Our friends and project partners at Nalderun have sent us some information about events for Reconciliation Week 2024. The week of events will commence with the 2024 Sorry Day commemoration at Castlemaine Botanical Gardens on Sunday 26 May 2024. Please read on for details about this important week.

Nalderun Education Aboriginal Corporation, with support from Friends of Nalderun present:

The 2024 Sorry Day commemoration
Where: Castlemaine Botanical Gardens, Castlemaine VIC
When: Sunday 26 May 2024 from 10.00 am

All are invited to commemorate the Stolen Generation and participate in this National Day of Healing. Senior Djaara Elder Uncle Rick Nelson will be doing a Welcome Ceremony with Smoking.

Speeches by Special guests Uncle Ron Murray, Mayor Cr Matthew Driscoll and music by award-winning Celtic Indigenous duo Kinja.

For the full  program of events for Nalderun Sorry Day and Reconciliation Week 2024 – Click Here

‘Nalderun is a Dja Dja Wurrung word which means ‘all together’, because we believe by moving forward together we can make the change needed for our children, our mob and the wider community in the Mount Alexander Shire region of Victoria to thrive. We are Aboriginal led and run – we know what our Community needs, as we are apart of it. For 10 years we have seen our children become stronger, proud and deadly. We know our future, and the future for our children’s children is safe, having created programs and ways of being and teaching now. We want you to join this journey in this two-way learning space. We look forward to walking forward together. We invite you to support us in caring for Culture, Country and Community and to meet the needs of our mob, and the ever-increasing commitment to support these changes in the broader community, which builds respectful and reciprocal relationships for all.’

This video is a showcase of 10 years of Nalderun:

Bird of the Month: Rufous Whistler

Posted on 21 May, 2024 by Ivan

Welcome to Bird of the month, a partnership between Connecting Country and BirdLife Castlemaine District. Each month we’re taking a close look at one special local bird species. We’re excited to join forces to deliver you a different bird each month, seasonally adjusted, and welcome suggestions from the community. We are blessed to have the brilliant Jane Rusden and Damian Kelly from BirdLife Castlemaine District writing about our next bird of the month, accompanied by Damian’s stunning photos.

Rufous Whistler (Pachycephala rufiventris)

The Rufous Whistler is a renowned songster, but it’s also one of those species who you can hear calling but have a lot of trouble locating exactly where the bird is. They have a knack for throwing their call so you can’t pinpoint them, despite their beautiful rufous breast and striking white throat banded on black for the male. Often the female will be lurking nearby, but her cryptic colouring makes her even more difficult to find. Luckily, they will sit on an obvious branch, where we can both see and hear their gorgeous and varied song.

Male Rufous Whistler, photo by Damian Kelly

Males and females are quite different in appearance. The male has the distinctive rufous underparts with a black band and white throat. The female lacks the bold black and white markings of the male and the underbody is distinctly streaked. Second-season immature males have very similar colouring to the females which makes identification tricky.

Female Rufous Whistler, showing her much more cryptic colouring. Photo by Damian Kelly

They can be found in a wide variety of habitats ranging from mallee to open forests and shrub lands as well as being adapted to urban areas. In Castlemaine their distinctive calls can be heard in home gardens from early spring. I have heard blackbird mimicry of their calls in our garden in town which can be confusing at times! Their distribution covers much of Australia including a lot of the drier inland. However, they are more common on the east coast and in south-west Western Australia compared to the drier inland zones.

Patterns of movement vary – some are sedentary whilst others move north for winter, returning in spring. Not a lot is known of their movements in many areas. Banding studies have shown that some birds return each year to the same area. It can be a long-lived species with some individuals being identified 14-15 years after first banding.

Breeding is normally in pairs and pairs are usually monogamous with the same pairs breeding each year. Unlike some other Australian birds there are no helpers at the nest. Nests are defended from others and both birds incubate and feed the young. They build an open, cup-shaped nest out of twigs and are often lined with grass that may be in a tree fork or foliage and sometimes in mistletoe. Usually, 2-3 eggs are laid.

This species is largely insectivorous and will take a wide range of prey. They tend to forage higher than other whistler species and are often observed 5-15m above ground. Food may be gleaned from foliage and tree trunks as well as being caught on the wing in short flights. Unlike other whistler species, they rarely feed on the ground.

As the days grow shorter and winter is almost upon us, we can look forward to the heralding of spring in the Rufous Whistlers call. In the meantime, keep an ear out for the Golden Whistler, also a magnificent songster. For more on Golden Whistler, from the wonderful Geoff Park, click here.

To hear the call of the Rufous Whistler, please click here

Celebrating our wonderful volunteers: National Volunteer Week

Posted on 20 May, 2024 by Ivan

This week, 20-26th May, is National Volunteer Week, Australia’s largest annual celebration of volunteering, highlighting the important role of volunteers and inviting people not currently volunteering to give it a go.

This years theme is ‘Something for Everyone’ and Connecting Country would like to take this moment to say a massive thank you to our amazing volunteers from our many projects and programs.

Connecting Country could not do what we do without our volunteers. Our management committee is run by volunteers, our monitoring programs rely on skilled citizen scientists, our landholders ensure landscape restoration is maintained, and others help with events, Landcare, engagement and in countless other ways. We love our volunteers and appreciate their dedication to our vision of increasing, enhancing, and restoring biodiversity across central Victoria.

National Volunteer Week 2024 will recognise the diverse passions and talents everyone brings to the act of volunteering. It’s also an invitation to explore the myriad of opportunities available, emphasising that there’s a place for everyone in the world of volunteering. We have plenty of opportunities to apply your skills as a volunteer and have had so many talented volunteers assist us over the recent years.

Our projects run off very tight budgets, with funding opportunities few and far between, so we rely on volunteers more and more to help us achieve our mission of landscape restoration within the Mount Alexander region. The community has always been at the core of what we do at Connecting Country. In this new phase, we’ve had to rely on our community even more.

Because we’re surrounded by an engaged and enthusiastic community, we’re still able to check in on our local biodiversity and deliver monitoring, engagement, Landcare support and landscape restoration across our region. If it wasn’t for your hard work, we simply would not be able to continue our valuable long-term biodiversity monitoring, engage our community in caring for our local landscapes, or empower landowners to manage their land as wildlife habitat.

To everyone who has helped Connecting Country over the past two decades: a big thank you! We are so grateful for your support.

To find out more about volunteer opportunities at Connecting Country, please visit our website – click here

National Volunteer Week Events will take place from 20-26 May 2024, to say thank you to the millions of  Australians who volunteer their time. We invite you to join in the events across the country.

Castlemaine Landcare present: Recovery plan for native fish with Dr Peter Rose

Posted on 15 May, 2024 by Lori

Castlemaine Landcare Group are hosting a fascinating presentation about a recovery plan to return native fish to the environment as part of their upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM).  All welcome.

Recovery plan for native fish presentation

Dr Peter Rose, North Central Catchment Management Authority.

Aquatic ecologist, Dr Peter Rose, from the North Central Catchment Management Authority (NCCMA), will explain a recovery plan for native fish at the AGM of Castlemaine Landcare Group (CLG).  CLG invite anyone interested to come along to Castlemaine Community House (30 Templeton St) on Wednesday 22 May at 7.30pm.

Peter will describe the work underway – riparian protection and enhancement; water for the environment; construction of fishways, and captive breeding and release of threatened fish. He will also discuss recent complementary work to identify and protect aquatic refugia in upland unregulated streams and establishment of ‘surrogate’ fish habitats in farm dams to re-stock waterways. The presentation will highlight existing partnerships with Landcare groups, and possible future avenues for Landcare groups to become more active in fish recovery projects.

Dr Peter Rose is an aquatic ecologist with over 20 years’ experience within the government, university, and private sectors.  Peter works at NCCMA as the Project Manager for the Native Fish Recovery Plan – Gunbower and Lower Loddon  He is also the Recovery Reach Coordinator for the Mid-Murray Floodplain Recovery Reach.  Peter manages large-scale restoration native fish projects including fishway design and construction, instream woody habitat reinstatement, riparian protection and enhancement, wetland rehabilitation, and floodplain-specialist fish conservation projects.

It promises to be a very interesting evening!

When: Wednesday 22 May 2024 at 7.30pm

Where: Castlemaine Community House, 30 Templeton Street Castlemaine VIC 3462

Inquiries: castlemainelandcaregroupinc@gmail.com

This is a free event hosted by Castlemaine Landcare Group.

Midweek Bird Walk – Wednesday 15 May 2024, Campbells Creek Trail

Posted on 30 April, 2024 by Ivan

Our friends and project partners at Birdlife Castlemaine District are holding a mid-week bird walk to showcase the ecological restoration along Campbells Creek and observe the native birds that have returned to the landscape. It will be a great chance for a casual stroll along an accessible trail with knowledgeable and passionate bird watchers, and an opportunity to learn more about restoring our local landscapes. 

Birdlife Castlemaine Midweek Bird Walk – Campbells Creek Trail

Castlemaine Birdlife second mid-week walk is to be held at the Campbell’s Creek Trail in Castlemaine on the 15^th May 2024. The trail runs from the Camp Reserve along Barkers and Campbells Creeks to the Campbells Creek township. The track is mostly flat providing easy walking and is wheelchair accessible. The walk runs partly through some areas of houses and commercial buildings but has good riparian vegetation thanks largely to the Campbells Creek Land Care group. Possible sightings include Pied Currawong, Musk Lorikeet, Silvereye, Grey Fantail, Golden and Rufous Whistler and various Thornbills and Honeyeaters. Our walk leaders will be Jane Rusden and Bob Dawson.

Where: The walk starts from the beginning of the trail which is off Forest Road just by the bridge over Barkers Creek, opposite Camp Reserve.

From the roundabout at the corner of Hargreaves and Forest Streets, travel west along Forest Street for about 500 meters, under the railway bridge and over Barkers Creek then park either in Gaulton or Forest Streets then walk back along the south side of Forest Creek toward the creek. We will be at the start of the Trail. GPS -37.06648, 144.21305.

When: Meet at the Campbells Creek Trail at 9:00am.

Bring: Water, snacks, binoculars, sunscreen, hat, and we also strongly recommend that you wear long trousers and closed-in sturdy shoes.

More info: Jane Rusden, 0448 900 896, Judy Hopley 0425 768 559 or Bob Dawson 0417 621 691.

Birdlife Castlemaine acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land where we are holding our walk, the Dja Dja Wurrung people and we pay our respects to their Elders past and present. We recognise and are grateful for the immense contribution of Indigenous people to the knowledge and conservation of Australia’s birds.

Please note that walks will be cancelled if severe weather warnings are in place, persistent rain is forecast, the temperature is forecast to be 35C or above during the walk period, and/or a Total Fire Ban is declared. Please check our Facebook page the day before the event in case there is a cancellation.

2024 Victorian Landcare Forum: 9 and 10 May in Bendigo

Posted on 24 April, 2024 by Ivan

To purchase your tickets to the Victorian Landcare Forum click here.

The 2024 Victorian Landcare Forum is is hosted by Landcare Victoria Inc.

Andrew Skeoch presentation: Tuesday 23 April 2024

Posted on 22 April, 2024 by Hadley Cole

Our friends at Newstead Landcare Group are hosting a wonderful presentation by local sound recordist Andrew Skeoch on Tuesday 23 April 2024 at 7.30pm at the Newstead Community Centre, Newstead. Newstead Landcare Group have shared the following information about this exciting presentation.

Each morning, primarily in the breeding season, there is a festival of birdsong in the half light before dawn. 

Why? And why specifically at dawn? What can we hear among song choice and repertoires? Why has this global phenomenon of avian life evolved, and what is its purpose? 

We are so excited that Strangways’ local sound recordist and author Andrew Skeoch will be presenting to our group again. Andrew’s talks unfold fascinating insights into how our ecosystems work and how we can relate to them. Drawing on his recordings and experience of dawn choruses from around the world, Andrew compares and contrasts how birds sing at daybreak, finding intriguing patterns of vocalising behaviour among even our most familiar songbirds. His conclusions integrate this phenomenon within wider understandings of the natural world, including ourselves.

Andrew Skeoch in the field.

Over the last thirty years, he has been documenting the sounds of environments around the planet, and through his label ‘Listening Earth’, published over one hundred recordings allowing listeners to immerse themselves in wild soundscapes from around the world. His recordings have been heard in documentaries, installations and feature films such as Peter Gabriel’s soundtrack to ‘Rabbit Proof Fence’. 

He has given presentations to audiences ranging from local community and school groups to university students, plus radio features, keynote addresses and a TEDx talk. He is the president of the Australian Wildlife Sound Recoding Group, and on the board of the Australian Forum for Acoustic Ecology. 

When: Tuesday April 23^rd at 7.30 pm

Where: Newstead Community Centre, Newstead VIC

All are welcome to attend and gold coin donations would be appreciated. Andrew will have copies of his wonderful book “Deep Listening to Nature” available for sale.

Talking turtles: Bendigo family sustainability day Saturday 20 April

Posted on 18 April, 2024 by Ivan

Looking to learn more about our terrific turtles this coming weekend? Our project partners at the Bendigo City Council are putting on two events in Bendigo, a fabulous day of sustainable fun and information themed around turtles, wildlife and biodiversity. There is a talk on at the Bendigo Library at 1.30pm, followed by a walk and talk at Kennington Reservoir, home to many turtle species in central Victoria. Please find more details, including booking information and what to expect below.

Family Sustainability Day

As part of the Kennington Reservoir Fish Habitat Project, we are excited to have Graham Stockfeld from Turtles Australia presenting at 2 events on Saturday 20^th April.

Event 1: Talkin’ Turtles at the Bendigo Library

1:30 – 2:30pm in the Performance Space as part of the Library’s Sustainable Saturday event

Come along to meet some live turtles and learn about turtle biology, ecology, threats and what we can do to protect them.

Event 2: Talkin’ Turtles at Kennington Reservoir

3pm – 4pm

Graham will share his knowledge on turtles, talk about the project at Kennington Reservoir and about what we can do to manage and protect them.

For anyone interested, more info on the project can be found here: https://go.bendigo.vic.gov.au/kenningtonfishhabitat

Please share the info with anyone that you think might be interested.

For bookings: CLICK HERE

2024 Landcare Link-up: Caring for Significant Old Trees. Sunday 19 May 2024

Posted on 18 April, 2024 by Ivan

As part of Connecting Country’s ongoing support for Landcare groups in the Mount Alexander/ Leanganook region, we coordinate an annual Landcare Link-up to provide groups with an opportunity to get together, learn, share and connect. It’s also a great opportunity for anyone not yet engaged in Landcare to learn more about what’s involved and hear about the amazing success stories in our region.

Our guest speaker, Dr. Steve Griffith has published numerous research papers on the topics of creating artificial hollows in trees, and his research into Australian Microbats and insectivorous bat species is also widely regarded. He has a long list of publications and is currently employed as an Adjunct Research Fellow in Animal Plant & Soil Sciences at LaTrobe University. We are certain most of you have met the passionate Bev Phillips from the Maldon Urban Landcare Group, who has spent many years documenting our significant native trees around the Maldon region with MULGA, and has incredible ecological knowledge of our local region and beyond.

Significant Old Yellow Box (Eucalyptus melliodora) at Bill Woodfull Reserve, Maldon. Photo by Bev Phillips.

 

It’s sure to be an interesting and engaging event, with a focus on Landcare activities, and practical know how followed by academic research into a new and exciting field. Afternoon tea will be provided for free during the event.

Bookings are essential for catering purposes. To book your place, please -click here

Everyone is welcome!

LOCATION

For any inquiries please email: hadley@connectingcountry.org.au or call the Connecting Country office on: 0493 362 394

We thank the Ian and Shirley Norman Foundation for their support of this event and our larger project regarding the importance of large old trees.

Bird of the Month: Laughing Kookaburra

Posted on 16 April, 2024 by Ivan

Welcome to Bird of the month, a partnership between Connecting Country and BirdLife Castlemaine District. Each month we’re taking a close look at one special local bird species. We’re excited to join forces to deliver you a different bird each month, seasonally adjusted, and welcome suggestions from the community. We are blessed to have the brilliant Jane Rusden and Damian Kelly from BirdLife Castlemaine District writing about our next bird of the month, accompanied by their stunning photos.

Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae)

The sausage thief, Laughing Kookaburra mug shot. Photo by Jane Rusden

As we all know, the logistics of picnicking can be challenging when there’s a hungry, daring and intelligent Laughing Kookaburra around. I’ve watched a group of young kids cook sausages on the BBQ while camping, getting thoroughly bullied by a Kookaburra as they attempted and failed, to protect their cooking food. The bird dropped off a perch, wings out and gaining speed to dart deftly between the children, and snatch a fat sausage off the BBQ plate in its powerful bill. The poor kids were helpless against the crafty Kookaburra, what’s more the bird knew it, as did the kids. 

Laughing Kookaburra, the blue on the wing and rufous on the tail and rump is clearly visible. Photo by Damian Kelly.

An iconic bird that is always identified by its loud, often communal ‘laughing’ calls that echo throughout the bush. In reality these calls are mostly about delineating territories. Originally only resident in eastern Australia, it has been introduced to Western Australia, Tasmania and King Island. Even a few birds were introduced into New Zealand. It was popular amongst the early European settlers due to its abilities in snake catching and this probably contributed to the desire to introduce it into other areas. 

Due to its adaptability, it can be found in a wide range of habitats ranging from open forest to rainforest, parks, suburban gardens, farming areas and even sugar cane fields. It has adapted quickly to altered habitats and will readily take food from humans. In some areas studies have shown that up to 75% of their diet comes from people feeding them. They also take reptiles, insects, earthworms, yabbies and rodents. Small birds and native marsupials can also be part of their diet in some areas. 

Kookaburras are usually sedentary, remaining in the same territory all year. Although they perch in trees, the bulk of their prey is caught on the ground. Sitting on an elevated tree perch, power pole or on powerlines, they sit motionless watching for movement on the ground before diving down to collect their prey.  

As well as being an adaptable predator, the Kookaburra has a complex social structure. Generally, a breeding pair are assisted by offspring from previous broods who help with feeding. Some of these helpers can stay for up to 4 years. Communal behaviour also extends to roosting at night where a whole group will roost close together on the same branch. 

Laughing Kookaburra with a skink meal. Photo by Jane Rusden

Nests are usually in tree hollows, although in suitable areas they may also utilise arboreal termite nests. Usually only one clutch of 2-4 eggs is laid each season. Asynchronous hatching in the nest results in a hierarchy in size of the nestlings and in times of food shortage some weaker birds will not survive. Unfortunately, some decline in populations has been observed as the bird is at risk from human activities ranging from pesticide use to the loss of tree hollows as a result of land clearing. 

Laughing Kookaburra emerging from a nest hollow, having fed its young. Photo by Damian Kelly

Find more information on the Laughing Kookaburra, including their calls, click here.

Connect with Nature Event: Loddon Wetlands 20 & 21 April 2024

Posted on 15 April, 2024 by Ivan

Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club: April 2024 talk

Posted on 10 April, 2024 by Ivan

As a monthly tradition, our friends at Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club (CFNC) hold a meeting with a guest speaker on the second Friday of the month, followed by a group excursion or field trip the following day. Castlemaine Field Nats provided the following details about their April 2024 meeting, which look very interesting and exciting. All are welcome to attend. For more information on CFNC, please visit their website – click here

Monthly Meeting:  Friday 12th April, 7.30pm, Uniting Church Fellowship Room, Lyttleton St. Castlemaine

Speaker: Professor Tim Entwisle, “Evergreen and Entwisleia: a botanical life, and a seaweed”

Professor Tim Entwisle is an author, botanist and former director of botanic gardens in Melbourne, Sydney and London. He also lived for a few years at Yapeen and completed his final years of secondary school at Castlemaine High School. In 2022, Tim published a memoir called “Evergreen: the Botanical Life of a Plant Punk” (Thames & Hudson), and this will be the subject of his talk for us on 12 April.

He will explain why he became a botanist (and phycologist) and some of the highlights of his three decades working in, and visiting, botanic gardens around the world. Tim will also share with us the story of a seaweed (an alga) called Entwisleia bella, and how this came to be named after him. (Tim will bring some books for sale and signing).

All welcome.

Tim with Entwisleia bella

Bird of the Month: Varied Sitella

Posted on 26 March, 2024 by Ivan

Welcome to Bird of the month, a partnership between Connecting Country and BirdLife Castlemaine District. Each month we’re taking a close look at one special local bird species. We’re excited to join forces to deliver you a different bird each month, seasonally adjusted, and welcome suggestions from the community. We are blessed to have the brilliant Damian Kelly from BirdLife Castlemaine District writing about our next bird of the month.

Varied Sitella (Daphoenositta chrysoptera)

The Varied Sitella is a small grey bird that is often hard to see, although it is widespread in our region. One distinguishable behaviour is that it often runs down a tree trunk or branch or hangs upside down as it searches for food. A gregarious species, it can usually can be seen in groups of 2 up to 20 when foraging in its preferred woodland haunts.

As the name implies, plumage can be quite variable within the species and there is extensive and complex variation in different geographical areas. DNA evidence supports a few distinct subspecies, and there is widespread hybridisation between these different subspecies – all in all a bit confusing!

The Varied Sittella is a small songbird native to Australia. Photo: Damian Kelly

It can be found across Australia (but not Tasmania) in a variety of habitats from southern Victoria all the way up to Cape York, in Western Australia and is also lightly spread throughout the inland.

At times it can be found foraging in mixed species flocks which include Buff-rumped and Striated Thornbills and occasionally Scarlet Robins. It is rarely seen on the ground, preferring to move along tree trunks and in the foliage. It tends to favour higher spots on trees compared to other bark-feeding species such as Treecreepers and Crested Shriketits and can be seen 8-14m above ground level, which of course makes observation that much more tricky.

So, if you haven’t seen them around much, this preference for high branches is probably why – coupled with an overall grey appearance that helps them blend in with their surroundings.

Diet consists mainly of insects gathered from foliage and gleaned from the cracks in rough-barked trees. Flocks keep in contact as they move through the foliage by constant calling as well as flicking their wings to reveal their distinctive coloured wing-bar (see above photo). Sitellas also roost as a group, usually along a horizontal branch, all facing the same direction.

(The Varied Sittella is usually heard before it is seen in the upper branches. Photos: Damian Kelly)

Studies have shown that this species is largely sedentary with few movements more than 10 km from local areas.

Like some other Australian species, Sitellas engage in cooperative breeding. A breeding group generally consists of a primary breeding pair and a varying number of helpers, ranging from 1-7 individuals. Helpers may be adult birds along with some juveniles from previous clutches. Nests are an open cup-shaped structure, often with a long tail making them somewhat cone-shaped. Nests are constructed of bark and spider webs, sometimes incorporating hair or fur.

Find more information on the Varied Sittella, including their calls, here.

Safeguard Harcourt’s wildlife corridors: Petition

Posted on 25 March, 2024 by Ivan

Our friends at Harcourt Valley Landcare Group have been busy working on a campaign to protect Harcourt’s wildlife corridors and biodiversity assets from inappropriate development, for future generations. Harcourt is a special part of our region, and has significant vegetation that is critical habitat for threatened species such as the Brush-Tailed Phascogale, Brown Toadlet and Sun Moth Orchid, as well as many majestic large old trees and habitat corridors. The Harcourt Valley Landcare Group have started a petition on Change.org, to request the Mount Alexander Shire Council protect such natural assets from inappropriate development and ensure our wildlife and biodiversity thrive into the future.

Please find further information and details provided by Harcourt Valley Landcare Group, including how to sign the petition.

Safeguard Harcourt’s Wildlife Corridors: please sign the petition

Harcourt residents are lucky to enjoy the natural beauty of a place that affords them bush to exercise and socialise in, views to Leanganook (Mt Alexander), wildlife to encounter, Barkers Creek and rich soils to nourish us and majestic, tall trees to watch over us.

Whether we live in Harcourt township and stroll the streets with our dogs in the morning, or spend our weekends caring for larger properties, whether we grow our livelihood from the land or just seek solace from it after earning our livelihood elsewhere, we all benefit from the land the Dja Dja Wurrung people have cared for, for generations.

And yet we are at risk of losing this. Harcourt was identified in 2014 as a town that can support growth and Mt Alexander Shire Council has been developing Plan Harcourt, the document that shapes how this might look, since 2020. Safeguarding the nature we love in Harcourt hangs on the strength of the environmental protections in this document.

Nature needs you to let Mount Alexander Council know you care about Harcourt’s precious natural environment and that you’re watching this process with interest, by signing this petition.

Join Harcourt Valley Landcare Group’s call for Mt Alexander Shire Council to protect wildlife corridors that allow safe passage for our precious native species from Leanganook (Mt Alexander) to the Walmer Forest. These wildlife corridors include roadside vegetation corridors like Elys Lane, Douglas Lane, Shady Lane and Eagles Rd; and waterways such as Barkers Creek and Picnic Gully Creek. We call for strong protections for Large Old Trees, habitat for the Brush-tailed Phascogale, Brown Toadlet and Golden Sun Moth Orchid.

Click here to sign the petition and for more information.